Husna Anjum

Joe Carthy, 15, was buried in Athy after being killed with four other teenagers when their BMW travelled the wrong way on the M9 in County Kildare. Police maintained checkpoints and attended the funeral, while the occupants of the other vehicle remained seriously injured and a fundraiser for their family surpassed €640,000. The crash has prompted scrutiny of dangerous-driving enforcement, social-media content and state care for children. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan promised additional Garda resources and new pursuit-specific training, while opposition politicians blamed staffing shortages. TikTok declined to appear publicly before an Oireachtas committee but said it had removed flagged content and banned violating accounts; Ireland’s media regulator is seeking further information.

A fire at the Beverin Portuguese restaurant in Thusis, Switzerland, left five people unaccounted for and eight injured, including two seriously. Fourteen people escaped as nearly 100 firefighters responded, opening the building’s roof after the staircase collapsed. The cause, believed to have originated on the second floor, remains under investigation, while the Thusis municipality provided accommodation and food for those affected.

Seventy-five-year-old June Redman from Middlesbrough became critically ill during a family holiday in Turkey after a fall, later developing sepsis, pneumonia and severe kidney problems. She was placed in an induced coma and remains in intensive care at Ahu Hospital in Marmaris, but is now showing signs of recovery. Her family says Goodtogo Travel Insurance will cover only 21.28% of the costs because of allegedly undeclared medical conditions, leaving them needing £31,500 for an air ambulance. The insurer’s parent company, Ancile Insurance Group, says it is working with the family, while a fundraiser has raised around £7,000.

Two wildfires on the Greek island of Salamina are threatening the areas of Peristeria, Selinia and the popular tourist village of Kaki Vigla. Some 146 firefighters and 10 aerial assets are responding amid strong winds, while authorities have requested two ferries to support possible sea evacuations. Two unidentified bodies have been found, four people have been hospitalized with burns, and an elderly man was rescued from his home. A separate wildfire on nearby Skyros is also being fought.

Several people were shot near Virginia State University's Quad Annexes in Ettrick, Virginia, prompting a campus lockdown and a police investigation. Multiple suspects are reportedly involved, and victims were taken to area hospitals; officials said the injuries did not appear to be life threatening. Police urged people to avoid the area and asked witnesses to provide information.

Dolly Parton missed the August 14 launch of Dollywood’s NightFlight Expedition roller coaster after her Nashville doctor advised her not to travel because of dizziness, dehydration and an infection. She joined the ceremony virtually, saying she was recuperating. The 80-year-old singer has also canceled rearranged Las Vegas residency performances while responding to medication and treatment, following earlier health struggles including kidney stones in September 2025.

Rhianan Rudd, an autistic and vulnerable teenager from Derbyshire, was radicalised online by American white supremacists Christopher Cook and Dax Mallaburn. Although evidence indicated that she had been groomed, sexually exploited and coerced, British authorities charged her with terrorism offences before dropping the charges in December 2021. Rhianan was found hanged at a Nottinghamshire children’s home in May 2022. Her mother, Emily Carter, says police ignored evidence of exploitation and wrongly treated her daughter as a terrorist suspect. The case is examined in Channel 4’s documentary “The Schoolgirl Terrorist?” and comes amid a sharp rise in referrals to the UK’s Prevent programme over suspected far-right extremism.

Five 17-year-old boys—Braden Taylor, Tristan Tucker, Titus Gould, William Simms and Tyler Martinez—died after their car veered off a residential roadway and plunged down a steep hillside in Grand Junction, Colorado. The vehicle was found the following morning, and authorities said three occupants were wearing seatbelts while two were ejected. Investigators are examining whether speed contributed to the crash. Relatives described the boys as best friends and launched fundraisers to support the grieving families.

Christopher Wright, 73, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years for murdering Richard Dyson and concealing his dismembered body in a cement-filled barrel. Dyson had lived on Wright’s land in Hoyland and disappeared in 2019; police found his body six years later. Wright’s childhood friend Karl Schwalbe was jailed for three years for helping conceal the crime. Wright also received convictions for preventing a lawful burial, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and firearms offences.

Sixteen-year-old Aoibheann Clarke died after collapsing during injury time in a Minor Division Ladies Football Shield Final in Wexford on August 4. Emergency responders performed compressions and took her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead; Gardaí are treating the incident as a personal tragedy. Clarke's clubs, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, family and local community paid tribute to her as a gifted and much-loved sportsperson, while a book of condolences and support services were announced.

Britto Lorence was sentenced to an 18-month community order and 150 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to performing a sex act under a blanket beside a woman and her young son on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Newcastle. The incident distressed the woman, who alerted cabin crew, and Lorence was arrested after the plane landed. A judge refused his application to withdraw the guilty plea, noting the seriousness of the offence and the fact that passengers could not escape the situation. He was also ordered to pay £914 in costs and a victim surcharge, although he continues to deny committing the offence.

Ski Yodl Ltd, a UK travel company selling ski packages and mountain accommodation, has entered voluntary liquidation, with Richard Cacho of RCM Advisory Limited appointed as liquidator. All package holidays booked through the company have been cancelled. ABTA said it believed there were no current package-holiday bookings at the time of liquidation but advised affected customers to contact it. Accommodation-only customers must seek refunds through their card issuer or register claims with the liquidator, depending on how they paid.

Chris Brown and his vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to affray over a 2023 attack at Tape London in which Brown struck former friend Abraham Diaw with a bottle. More serious assault and weapons charges were dropped. Both men were granted bail and will be sentenced on October 26, while Brown must return to the UK the day before sentencing.

A judge ordered Donald Trump to provide financial records in his 10 billion dollar defamation case against the BBC over a Panorama documentary he claims implied he encouraged the Capitol riots. The BBC argued the information is necessary to assess alleged financial harm, while Trump’s lawyers called the request improper and burdensome. The order covers records from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, though it may be appealed. The BBC has apologised for editing that created an impression of a direct call for violence but is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, citing concerns about chilling effects on reporting and challenging the Florida court’s jurisdiction.

Police in Porthleven, Cornwall are investigating reports that a man punched a seagull and forced it through a fence after it attempted to steal his food, leaving the bird with broken wings. Witnesses described the violent incident occurring near the Harbour View Café in front of multiple bystanders, including children. Authorities are appealing for information and requesting relevant footage to aid their enquiries.

Two brothers, Michael and Anthony Stewart, were sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1984 murder of civil servant Anthony Littler after a renewed investigation linked them to a series of violent robberies targeting men perceived as gay. The case was reopened following information provided by their younger brother decades later, supported by covert police surveillance. A judge at the Old Bailey issued minimum terms of 15 and 10 years, describing the attack as premeditated. Family members expressed relief at accountability after 42 years, while prosecutors highlighted the brutality of the killing and the long-delayed justice.

A Brazilian influencer, Kauana Bilhar, died after falling from the 27th floor of a Dubai building shortly after announcing her engagement. Her mother, Darla Bilhar, confirmed the death, travelled to Dubai to accompany the investigation, and urged respect amid negative online comments. The cause of death remains under police investigation.

A newborn’s body was discovered in a portable toilet at the Electric Forest festival in Rothbury, Michigan, prompting a police investigation. The neonate was found by a restroom service employee during routine maintenance, with authorities confirming no threat to the public. Michigan State Police appealed for witnesses and asked the public to avoid speculation. Festival organizers expressed heartbreak and urged anyone with relevant information to assist investigators.